Let Me Know You Again
by Halawen
Summary: Owen and Maya had one drunken night together and now they have a son. They love their son but can barely stand each other. Both still have feelings for old loves and those old loves come back into their lives. Owen is still in love with Clare & she comes back w/a surprise! Can they all be happy or will it be a disaster? A/U ONE SHOT, I mean it this time.


**Anyone not reading Christlove88's story "What Happens Next?" should begin as soon as they've read this. **

**Now then legal stuff: I own nothing but the idea.**

**Stuff to know before reading:**

**This is an A/U future fic it takes place in September of Maya's sophomore year at University. **

**The entire thing is done in Owen's pov.**

**All the background is given within the story.**

**Everyone enjoy!**

**Let Me Know You Again**

"Maya take him he's fussing I need to get to sleep," I say in a gruff and annoyed voice holding our six month son out to her as he wails.

"Owen I have to leave for class I'm going to be late, just put him in bed with you," she replies as she brushes her hair.

"He's not going to sleep if I put him in bed with me, I have a few hours to catch some sleep before I go to my second job and I'm not going to get any if he's screaming his head off the whole time. You can miss one day of classes I've barely slept at all this week," I argue in a growling tone getting angrier by the second and losing patience because I'm so tired.

"I have to go," Maya says curtly glaring at me and then smiling at our son, "bye Alex be good for Daddy," Maya says kissing him on the cheek and heading for the door of our little apartment.

"Maya you're not going to just leave I need to sleep!" I call after her but she walks out slamming the door.

It had been this way from pretty much day one; we ended up with Alex after a drunken night at a party when both of us were trying to drink away our pain. Maya had found out she was pregnant just before she was supposed to start at York and I would have been at my senior year at Ryerson. We hadn't even spoken since that one drunken night, a night I'd spent two months regretting but when she told me she was pregnant I wanted to do the right thing. We told our families first, hers totally turned their backs on us and we haven't spoken to them in over a year. Mine, including Tris who was at UCLA school of performing arts, did support us in every way except financially, they simply couldn't. Both my parents still worked full time and couldn't watch Alex much and I'd made the choice to drop out and take on two jobs to support my family.

Maya didn't want to stop going to school and I had attended three years so she was going to school part-time, meanwhile I worked a full time night job and part time day job and watched Alex while she was at school. Maya and I never married, we were never in love heck we never really loved each other at all, we weren't even together and only lived together because of Alex. Not to say that Maya and I never got intimate, there were many times while she was pregnant, although nothing since Alex has been born, mostly because we're always too tired. Even when I was intimate with Maya I never felt anything past the carnal pleasure, no there was only one girl I'd ever been in love with and she'd moved to London almost two years ago.

Maya was Tristan's best friend, I sort of knew her before that night, she was safe and I was fond of her in the way that she was my brother's best friend but I never loved her. She never loved me either, believe me we've tried, tried to have those feelings, to be in love to share love together but we just don't. We both love our son very much and we'll always share him but I don't think Maya and I will ever be able to love each other. We lived together and tried to do right by our son but we were both miserable and we were both coming rapidly to the end of what we could take, at some point this situation was going to explode. Maya was spending longer and longer at school and I was taking longer and longer drives when coming home from work.

I look at my son who has deep blue eyes and bleach blonde hair and I know it's all worth it, all the fighting with Maya, all the sacrifices we've made, it's worth it for him. I just need to get him to stop crying so I can get some sleep before I go to my second job, working the graveyard shift at the front desk of an all-night gym.

"Come on buddy let's go for a drive that usually gets you to sleep," I yawn.

I gather his stuff and we go down to my car, securing him into his car seat I start driving, just wandering the city. Finally after about half an hour Alex quiets down and I know he's asleep so I start driving home. And then I see her, Clare Edwards walking down the street, the only girl I've ever been in love with. I never fell out of love with her, I never wanted her to go but she had this great opportunity for an apprenticeship with the BBC in London. I couldn't stand in the way of her dream and I couldn't go with her but I never stopped loving her. We broke up mutually because we knew long distance would be too hard, and we lost touch shortly after she left. It was my doing really; I was drunk at the party and slept with Maya because I was hurting from Clare. She'd left for London only a couple of days before and my heart had been broken. Drinking and sleeping with Maya was to numb the pain and then I felt guilty about it, felt like I'd betrayed Clare and so stopped talking with her all together.

Maya had her own reasons for being drunk at the party that night; she had been dating this guy all through her senior year. She talked about being in love with him and thinking he was the one, being sure that they'd be married someday. Then she found him having sex with Zoe in the coat closet at prom and her heart was broken. She was still hurting when I found her drunk at the party, I was just as drunk and neither of us was thinking straight. I'm pretty sure neither of us was thinking at all actually. As much as I know both Maya and I regret that night neither of us regret Alex.

Seeing Clare now though brings it all back, how in love with her I still am, how I felt when I was with her, even how much it truly hurts to be without her. She looks incredible, wearing a long sleeve purple button up blouse and black tailored skirt that comes to her knees with black heels. Her hair back to should length but it's straight except for her long bangs that are wavy and brushed to the side. She doesn't see me, she's on the other side of the street and not looking in my direction but it's probably better, I look like hell and I probably shouldn't see her again after so long with my infant son with me. She disappears from view and I drive home wondering when she came back to Toronto and why she didn't tell me. She didn't come back for family her mom moved as soon as she graduated high school and her dad left during her senior year at DeGrassi.

I become determined to find her, to see her again and talk to her; I have to know if her feelings are still there for me as mine are for her. I put Alex in his bassinet when I get home and crash into the bed. I only get about three hours of sleep before I have to get ready for work but I wake up happy because I dreamt of Clare the whole time. Maya gets home just before I leave to watch Alex. We tried to do daycare but it was so expensive and even with me working two jobs we barely make ends meet, Alex needs a lot of stuff and Maya's school tuition is expensive, plus we're paying mine off still. I can't stop thinking about Clare even at work and on my lunch break I do a little digging to find out she works at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre. It so happens one of our regulars also works there and he's here tonight so when he's leaving I ask him if he knows exactly where Clare works. He says he can find out tomorrow and I give him my number to text me the info.

I get home at a little after 4am and I'm exhausted, Maya and Alex are still sleeping, I just slip into bed so I can sleep for 4 hours before I head to my day job. Instead of my alarm I'm woken up by Alex crying so while Maya's feeding him I shower and leave for work. On my lunch break I go to CBC with the info I was sent by my contact, he even left my name with security so I have no trouble getting in. It takes a bit of walking and a little getting lost but I finally find Clare's office, her door is open so I knock on it. She looks up from her laptop and looks like she's just seen a ghost when she sees me.

"Hey," I smile.

"Owen!" She says with a deep tone of shock in her voice.

"It's good to see you," I tell her stepping into her office a little.

"Owen I…" she starts and then pauses biting her lip, her forehead wrinkling, it's her worried face. She's weighing things in her mind right now and I don't know why. She stands from her chair and stops me before I reach her desk. "It's good to see you again too but you need to go," she asserts pointing to the door.

"I thought we could have lunch and catch up," I reply not moving from where I am.

"No we can't I have too much work to do please Owen you need to go," she insists again.

She's holding something back and the only thing I can think is that she's with someone else. There's something she's not telling me and she doesn't look all that happy to see me which hurts.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back in Toronto?" I ask her.

"I've only been back a week and I was starting my new job I haven't had time to do anything yet," is her response.

"You were going to call me then," I state rather than ask and she bites her lip.

"Owen I'm really very busy and anyway you're the one stopped calling now please you need to go or I'll have to call security," she asserts.

"Clare I know it's been two years but I had to see you," I say putting my hand on her shoulder, she freezes and tenses just slightly but I hear a breath hitching in her throat and she bites her lip as she enjoys my touch so now I'm really confused. "I still f…"

"Owen please don't, you need to go," she asserts again and before I can plead again there's another voice at her door.

"Clare meeting in ten are you ready?" Asks a man from the doorway, by his suit, age and the way he's looking at her I surmise he's her boss.

"Yeah be right there Roger," she replies. He looks at me and I take my hand off her shoulder. "Owen please go I can't have lunch today, I'm very busy I don't have time to catch up," she insists again pushing me to the office door.

I sigh and leave her office but I saw it in her eyes her feelings for me aren't totally gone either and I'm not going to let her push me away like that. I'm not taking no for an answer so after returning to work I call her twice and leave voicemails but she never calls me back. After work I don't go home I go back to her office and wait for her to leave. She gets in her car and I follow her, planning to follow her home and corner her, get her to talk away from work. To my surprise she doesn't drive straight home but stops at a day care center, I park on the street and get out watching from a short distance as she goes in. She's in there for about five minutes and then comes out holding a baby girl, she looks maybe 2 or 3 months older than Alex which would mean Clare was pregnant when she left. It's obviously a girl because she's in a little pink dress and on her mop of dark brown hair is a pink headband with a bow. The little girl so strikingly looks like me and my baby pictures only she looks like a baby girl but I just know she's mine. Now I really need to talk to Clare and as happy as I am I'm feeling so hurt and betrayed that she kept this from me.

"So were you just planning to never tell me I have a daughter?" I question marching straight over to them. Clare jumps a little but our daughter smiles and reaches for me. I take her in my arms and hold her to my chest; she clings to my shirt and looks up at me with Clare's clear blue eyes.

"You followed me!" Clare states after a minute of being shocked.

"Don't make me the bad guy here you've been hiding a daughter from me why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" I inquire.

"Still feel like getting something to eat? Our favorite Italian place is just up the street," she suggests and then bites her lip again.

"I'll follow you," I nod smiling a little and follow her to her car buckling our daughter into her car seat. "What's her name?" I ask Clare realizing I don't even know that.

"Marlice, Marlice Milligan-Edwards," Clare informs me.

"Marlice I like it, you even gave her my last name and you kept her form me," I scowl at her and she looks guilty and sorry but I look back at our daughter, "I'll see you at the restaurant Marlice," I say to the girl kissing her forehead and closing the car door. "Don't try and dodge me again I'll just follow you again," I warn Clare and she smiles shaking her head a bit.

"Still bullheaded I see," she chides me.

"I just know what I want," I reply taking her hand and pulling her to me, I put one hand at the small of her back. Clare rests her free hand on my chest and I capture her lips. She doesn't resist, she kisses me back, her lips welcoming, the kiss full of love and relief and a wanting I haven't felt since she left. I release her after a few seconds and we're both smiling. "I'll be right behind you," I tell her and she bites her lip, still smiling as she gets in the car.

I run to mine and jump in following Clare to the restaurant, we park next to each other and I tell the host it's the three of us. Clare requests a private booth and we're given one, she keeps Marlice in her car seat carrier and puts her on the bench between us. Once we're sitting down I take Marlice from her carrier and hold her on my lap.

"I didn't mean to keep her from you Owen but I didn't find out I was pregnant until I was already in London. You stayed here for a reason, to finish school and get your degree and I knew if you found out I was pregnant you'd drop everything and move to London. I couldn't do that to you; I didn't want you to end up resenting us or feel like you'd given up your dream for us. I thought about telling you the couple of times we did talk after I moved but I couldn't and when you stopped calling or answering my calls I figured you were done with me. I explained everything to my teachers and supervisors in London and they graciously worked around what I needed through the pregnancy. I took three months off after she was born and worked through the summer. Even with Marlice I managed to finish my credits and graduate early. One of my supervisors in London had a friend at CBC and I was offered my current job, she's an exceptional child, very well behaved and happy. I had reservations about coming back here, I worried about seeing you again but this job is everything I wanted and I thought you'd probably have moved away," Clare admits.

A waitress comes to get our drink order so I wait until she's gone before I say anything.

"I ended up dropping out and giving up my dream anyway. A couple days after you left I was missing you and hurting; I went to a party and was drinking my pain away. Maya was there drinking her own pain away and we slept together. She got pregnant and we moved in together, in order to support them I dropped out and took on two jobs. We have a son Alex, well Alexander Tristan Milligan but we call him Alex. I love my son but Maya and I barely get along. It was a terrible mistake but Alex is amazing and he's the only reason I can't completely regret that night. We were drunk and not thinking, birth control never entered either of our minds but as I recall you were on the pill," I comment as the waitress brings our drinks and Marlice starts bouncing on my lap.

"I was but when we were cramming right before finals I was so stressed I totally forgot to take them and if you recall we were having a lot of sex at that point, it got rid of the stress. Then the London opportunity came along and I realized I hadn't taken birth control in weeks still I didn't feel pregnant and had none of the signs. When I missed two periods I bought a pregnancy test and confirmed it. I couldn't abort and I couldn't give her up and I…I guess I was too afraid to tell you," she says.

I hold Marlice with one arm and take Clare's hand, "Clare I'm in love with you still. I never fell out of love with you. Please let me know you again, let me know my daughter."

"I never fell out of love with you either but what about Maya and your son?" Clare asks just as the waiter brings our food. I don't want to let go of either of them but I probably should eat, so I reluctantly put Marlice back in her carrier and let go of Clare's hand.

"I don't know, Maya and I are not happy and it's affecting Alex, he cries a lot and he's not nearly as happy as Marlice. I won't abandon them or turn my back on them but we're not happy and we shouldn't be together. It's not good for any of us, I'll talk to Maya I'll figure out something I want to be with you Clare. I've missed what, nine months of daughter's life I don't want to miss another second," I declare and Clare smiles.

"It all sounds wonderful but you have to talk to Maya, I want to be with you too, I want you with us Owen but you have to support Maya and Alex. Marlice and I are making it, barely at times but we're making it," Clare says.

"I'll talk to Maya," I grin and start eating. I have no idea what I'm going to say to Maya, I don't want her to feel alone or like I'm abandoning her and I never would. I'll still support them and I still want to see my son but we can't keep going the way we have been.

After dinner Clare invites me back to their apartment so I follow them home. I park on the street and Clare waits for me, I follow her to her apartment and she unlocks the door. I sit on the sofa and Marlice reaches for me so I take her, she becomes fascinated by the buttons near the collar of my polo shirt.

"Can I get you a drink?" Clare offers and I shake my head.

"No I have everything I need right here," I grin and the only thing that could make this more perfect is if Alex was here too. "Is she always this happy with strangers?" I ask Clare as I watch Marlice.

"She's usually this happy but you're not a stranger to her Owen, I might not have told you about her but I've been sharing you with her since she was born," Clare says and I look at her slightly confused. She gets up and retrieves a photo album before sitting down again. "Marlice who's that?" Clare says opening the photo album to a page that's full of pictures of me. All were taken during my relationship with Clare.

"Daddy!" Marlice squeals clapping her hands. My face is familiar to her but she hasn't seemed to made the connection that it's actually me sitting with her and holding her.

"Yes that's Daddy, who's holding you Marlice?" Clare asks and Marlice turns her head and looks at me then back at the photo album then back at the book. "All she's had is pictures, she's never seen you in person but she knows you," Clare explains turning on her laptop that's sitting on the coffee table in front of us. She starts a video and I recognize it, it's us at a BBQ at my parent's house. The clip is only a few seconds and then there's a few more short ones all of me. Marlice watches the video and smiles, when it goes off she flips through the photo album again until Clare tries to take it.

"DADDY BOOF!" Marlice screams when Clare tries to take the album, obviously Marlice can't say k's very well yet.

"Marlice look at who's holding you," Clare says pointing to my face, "that is Daddy. Daddy's here you don't need the Daddy book."

Clare points to me and back to the album with my pictures then back to me. Marlice looks between my face and the pictures, her little brain grasping the fact that the man in the pictures is indeed the man holding her. She's only ever known me in pictures and I know it's hard for her to realize it really is me even if I was familiar to her when she first saw me.

"Daddy?" She asks looking at me one more time and turning to touch my face.

"Yep Daddy," I smile and Marlice lets go of the book to hug me.

Clare takes the book setting it on the coffee table and I see her tear up while Marlice is still holding me. Clare looks happy, relieved and guilty all at the same time. I put my other arm around Clare and kiss her tears away. She smiles and puts her head on my shoulder, I never want to let them go again this feels so right. It only takes a couple more seconds for Marlice to lose interest in hugging me and she sits in my lap again playing with my hand. Clare and I start talking, about nothing and everything, I lose track of time and almost all thought of a world outside of my perfect little family. I help Clare put Marlice to bed and Clare goes into the washroom, I nearly sit on the sofa again but my cell rings and it's Maya. I realize the time and know she's calling to yell at me but I answer anyway.

"I'm sorry Maya I…"

"You're sorry?!" She cuts me off her voice high in anger and sharp with venom in every word. "You've been gone for hours Owen! You never came back to take Alex I had to ask Mrs. Culpepper to babysit," Maya snaps at me, Mrs. Culpepper is nearing 85 and has the apartment next to ours. "Where the hell have you been? Work called to say that you never showed up! You can't just disappear like that Owen!"

"I've missed one shift at work in all the months I've been working there! I've been working two jobs and watching Alex so you could go to school! I did one thing for myself tonight and you weren't even worried you're just angry that I couldn't take Alex," I growl back by try to keep my voice low since Marlice is sleeping.

Clare comes out of the washroom giving me a worried look as Maya tells me I'm lucky she told my work I was sick. Maya keeps yelling and I leave the apartment going out to the balcony and closing the sliding glass door so I don't disturb Clare or Marlice. I argue quite heatedly with Maya for several minutes and then we both hang up and I go back inside.

"That didn't sound pleasant," Clare comments as I close the balcony door again.

"It wasn't but that's how it's always been, the only thing keeping us together is Alex. I really don't want to go home can I sleep here? I'll crash on the sofa," I tell Clare.

"What about Maya and Alex?" She asks.

"Maya doesn't want to see me and Alex is asleep, I'll go to work in the morning and go home after that. I'm not leaving them I just…need a break," I sigh and Clare gives me a compassionate look.

"You can sleep here tonight but you can't run away Owen you have to confront Maya, I want to be with you again but I won't until you've talked to Maya. The sofa pulls out into a bed I'll get you some bedding," Clare says getting up and going to a linen closet.

She helps me make up the bed and says goodnight, I'm really very tired and fall asleep pretty quickly. I have dreams all about Clare, Marlice and Alex, my wonderful family and I wake up in time to go to work. Marlice is awake and Clare in the shower so I hold Marlice until Clare gets out. I kiss them both and tell Clare I'll call her later then leave for work. No one really says anything about the fact that I'm in the same clothes I wore yesterday. I'm off at one and have to rush home to get Alex so Maya can go to her classes. She deferred a semester and she's only part time now. Maya doesn't say anything to me and leaves angry, I sigh sitting on the sofa with Alex. He smiles and cuddles up to me and I start telling him about his sister. After feeding Alex we take a nap and then I get up and get ready for job number two but Maya hasn't showed up yet and I'm going to be late. I call work and tell them I'm still sick and won't be in again then put Alex in the car and drive to York to find Maya. I tracked her phone so I know that she's here. I find her on a bench flirting with none other than Miles Hollingsworth! Maya sees me and looks up with an extremely guilty look on her face.

"Owen! What are you doing here?" She asks with such fear and guilt in her voice you'd think I'd caught them sleeping together, not that Maya and I are together so it really wouldn't be cheating even if I had.

"I was supposed to be at work you were supposed to come take Alex. What's going on?" I ask, I'm not mad or jealous more like happy for them but I'm not sure that actually got expressed in my tone.

Maya gets up and comes over taking Alex from me, "I think we should talk, tomorrow morning since it's Saturday and I don't have school since you have to be at work."

"I called in sick again I think maybe we need to talk now," I reply and now Miles gets up.

"Why don't I take Alex so you two can talk without interruption," Miles says reaching for Alex and he readily goes to him. Alex looks quite at ease with him which tells me Miles has spent time with my son before and he and Maya must have been seeing a lot of each other.

"Thanks Miles I have his diaper bag in the car," I tell him.

I give Miles the diaper bag and Maya says she'll see me at home; I beat her there and call Clare.

"Hi," she says and I can hear her smile.

"Hi, Maya's on her way home and we're going to talk actually I hear her key in the door I should go but I wanted you to know," I inform Clare.

"Good luck I love you," she says and hangs up.

Maya comes in and I put away my phone, she locks up and sits on the sofa, we're both silent for a moment. We open and shut our mouths again, neither of us sure how to start, wanting to say so many things and not knowing where to begin.

"What you saw with me and Miles today, we've been seeing a lot of each other, rekindled our relationship I guess. He was there for summer semester and all our old feelings came back. I shouldn't have kept it from you this long but I was afraid of what you would do. I'm in love with him Owen and I want to be with him. I know you love Alex, I know you've been trying, we both have but this just isn't working. Miles loves me and Alex, we should be with him. You'll still see Alex of course I'd never take your son from you," Maya tells me.

"Clare moved back, I saw her yesterday and all our feelings were there. She's still just as in love with me as I am with her. We have a daughter together, she was pregnant when she left but didn't know until after she got to London and she was afraid to tell me. You should see her Maya, my daughter Marlice is beautiful," I say and can't hide the smile of bliss that I get thinking about Clare and my daughter.

"I know you're feelings for Clare have never changed Owen. Is that where you were last night?" Maya questions.

"Yes I saw her and met my daughter we talked and I lost track of time, I slept on the sofa though and all I did was kiss Clare a couple of times," I respond.

"I think we should invite them over for dinner tomorrow night. I'm going to stay at Miles apartment tonight and you can go to Clare's if you want or stay here and actually get a full night's sleep for once. You're off tomorrow night and I won't have school we can have Clare and Marlice over, as well as Miles. I think the four of us need to talk," Maya suggests.

"Yeah I think so," I nod.

Maya smiles and gets up, she starts packing a bag while I heat up some dinner. She waves as she leaves and I call Clare, she says that she and Marlice will come to dinner and she looks forward to it. I consider going to Clare's place but I haven't slept more than four hours at stretch in over six months and I fall asleep after lying on the bed for what was supposed to be just a minute. I wake up to my alarm and get ready for work, all I think about all through work is Clare and Marlice and seeing them tonight. Work can't be over fast enough and when I get home Maya is making dinner and Alex is in his playpen. I pick Alex up hugging him and kissing his forehead before I go into the bedroom to change. I hear Miles come in the apartment while I'm changing and when I go out to the living room there's another knock at the door so I know it's Clare. I run over to open the door, my lips curling into a huge smile when I see her and Marlice reaches her arms out for me.

"Daddy!" She giggles.

"Hey beautiful girl," I smile kissing her cheek and take Clare's hand pulling her into the apartment. "Clare you remember Maya and Miles," I day and Clare nods.

"Hi nice to see you again," Clare smiles.

"You too," Maya smiles back.

"And this is my son Alex," I tell her leading her to Alex's playpen. "Marlice this is your brother," I inform her, not that she understands but she smiles at Alex. "Alex this is your sister why don't you two play," I suggest putting Marlice in the playpen.

Marlice gets in and sits next to Alex, he's playing with soft blocks and Marlice picks up his puzzle cube, where you put the shapes in the holes, and starts playing with it. Clare and I watch the kids for a minute until Maya says dinner is ready and I put my hand on Clare's lower back walking us to the table. We sit down serving ourselves some of the soup Maya made.

"Owen I want you to know that I love Maya and Alex, I know it's been hard on you guys and I know you were only with Maya for the sake of Alex. I want Maya and Alex to move in with me, I have the money to take care of them and hire a nanny. That way Maya can go back to school full time and you'll be able to go back to school as well. Now that Clare's back and your daughter you can spend more time with them," Miles starts out; he doesn't waste any time apparently.

"I still want to be involved in Alex's life I can't just walk away from him," I say firmly.

"No one's asking you too Owen we know how much you love Alex and how important you are to each other. Of course you'll still be a part of Alex's life and maybe he'll be a happier baby when we're not fighting constantly," Maya comments.

"You could take Alex on the weekends if you wanted, or a few afternoons whatever you want. You and Maya can sublet the apartment and you could get a smaller place," Miles proposes.

"You could move in with us," Clare offers, "it would save us all money. Miles is right you should quit your night job and scale back to part time so you can reenroll in school. Marlice will be happy to have you home and so will I; we can take Alex on the weekends. Marlice is obviously happy to have her brother."

We all look over at the kids in the playpen, Marlice is helping Alex build with the blocks and he looks happier than I've ever seen him. I look at both my beautiful children and grin with pride and happiness.

"Let's start first thing in the morning, I won't be able to reenroll until winter term but I can start the process and quit the night job. I've missed 18 months with Clare and Marlice I'd like to make up for lost time," I comment and Clare smiles taking my hand.

"You could come home with us tonight," Clare offers.

"I'd love to," I grin looking at Maya to be sure it's alright.

"You should, we're staying at Miles place again," Maya says and I see the way they look at each other. It's the way I've always looked at Clare, I hope Maya and Miles find happiness she deserves it and she certainly didn't have it with me.

We finish dinner, everyone is happier now, the room filled with excitement for the future. I pack several suitcases to take to Clare's place, or I guess I should say our apartment as I plan to start moving in tonight. Clare helps Maya and Miles clean up, I hear them talking while they clean and there's no animosity at all we're all just happy this is what was meant to be all along.

"Say goodbye to Alex Marlice it's time to go home," I tell her after I've loaded the suitcases into my car.

"Bye bye Aletz," Marlice says hugging him close and kissing his cheek. All of us let out a collective "aww" at this gesture. I kiss Alex and pick up Marlice and we say goodbye to Maya and Miles.

"I'll see you guys at home," I tell Clare after loading Marlice into her car seat.

"Our home," Clare smiles.

I take her into my arms and give her a blissful passionate kiss before letting her go so she can get in the car. I run to mine and follow her to our apartment; I grab one suitcase deciding I can get the others in the morning. Marlice is asleep and Clare picks her up, I take Marlice from her so she can open the door. We go in and I take Marlice into her room and start getting her undressed and ready for bed. She opens her eyes yawning and looking at me sleepily.

"Daddy?" She yawns.

"Yes it's me pretty girl I'm here and I'm staying I'll live with you and mommy now," I tell her.

"Daddy stay," she smiles.

"Yes Daddy stay for good I love you little girl," I tell her kissing her cheek.

Marlice smiles and hugs me tight, "Love you Daddy."


End file.
